Final answer:
Male peacocks have large, bright feathers to attract females and increase their chances of mating. The peacock extends his tail as part of courtship to show females that he would be a good mate. This display is an example of sexual selection and the handicap principle.
Step-by-step explanation:
Male peacocks have large, bright feathers to attract females and increase their chances of mating. The larger and more colorful the feathers, the more likely a male is to be chosen by a female. This is because the feathers indicate that the male is healthy and likely to produce healthy offspring. The peacock extends his tail as part of courtship to show females that he would be a good mate.
This display is an example of sexual selection, which is a type of natural selection that occurs when individuals compete for mates. In the case of peacocks, males with larger eye spots on their tails attract more females and have greater reproductive success. This is because the females are more likely to choose males with big, colorful tails.
The selection pressure for males to have larger tails is known as the handicap principle. The tail is a disadvantage as it makes the males more visible to predators and less able to escape. However, only the most fit males can survive with this disadvantage, so the tail serves as an honest signal of quality to females.